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Combine provides NHL teams with well-rounded look

by
Mike G. Morreale
/ Vancouver Canucks

Don't think Sarnia Sting right wing Nail Yakupov will ace every interview and endurance test at the NHL Scouting Combine just because he was No. 1 on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of the top North American skaters for the 2012 NHL Draft.

Still, there's always that chance.

Professional scouts and general managers will find out when Yakupov joins 104 other draft-eligible players from North America and Europe for the physical, mental and medical testing at the NHL Scouting Combine, which runs from May 28 to June 2 in Toronto.

LOOKING BACK...

Infamous bike tests loom for hopefuls

In the summer before the 2010 NHL Scouting Combine in Toronto, Plymouth Whalers center Tyler Seguin opted to give the VO2 Max bike test a shot "just for fun."

It's one of two grueling stationary-bike tests. There's the Wingate Cycle Ergometer, which measures a player's power output during a 30-second burst, and the VO2 Max test, which measures a player's endurance and aerobic fitness. One comes right after the other, with just a short interval for recovery.

Those familiar with VO2 Max test know it happens to be the most grueling of all the tests at the Combine.

"I ended up throwing up after the VO2 (during the practice run)," Seguin said. "It's very difficult. You try to stay positive. I talked to guys who did it the year before my draft year and talked to guys who did it for practice. They said the bike tests are pretty hard. You have casual stuff, like bench press, push-ups, sit-ups, which you've done before. But the bikes are quite tough."

Seguin survived the bike tests at his Combine and eventually was drafted second by the Boston Bruins.

Last year, just two players lasted at least 14 minutes on the VO2 -- Swedish defenseman Adam Larsson, who was drafted fourth by the New Jersey Devils, and Czech defenseman David Musil, chosen 31st by the Edmonton Oilers.

NHL Central Scouting's No. 1-rated North American skater in 2011, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, lasted nine minutes on the VO2. That didn't stop the Oilers from taking him with the first pick of the draft.

It's not uncommon to see a few players cradling a trash can following the VO2 test.

"I think anyone going into the [Combine bike tests] wants to look as good as they can," NHL Central Scouting Director Dan Marr said. "There's some pride in it, and it does help them with their training to let them know this is where you need to be if you want to play in the NHL. You could look at it from another angle, too. If you test poorly at the Combine and test very good at the team's training camp, well, then they can say that you put in a heck of a summer with regard to your progression … that could be a benefit, too."

"What the players have to keep in mind is that this will be their initial contact with many NHL teams, so they have the chance to make that initial impression," NHL Central Scouting Director Dan Marr told NHL.com. "Some kids aren't that comfortable when they're in an interview environment so you just kind of have to tell them they need to be a little prepared to talk about themselves, which is something they might not be used to doing.

"But teams aren't testing your personality. They're just trying to get to know you in this environment, so it's just an opportunity to make a good initial impression."

The Scouting Combine will allow all 30 NHL clubs to interview as many prospects as they wish over a four-day period while reviewing medical reports by independent doctors from York University in Toronto. The players also will be put through a series of physical tests that will measure strength and endurance.

Among the players invited are top forward prospects Yakupov and Alex Galchenyuk of the Sarnia Sting and Mikhail Grigorenko of the Quebec Remparts. Top defensive prospects Ryan Murray of the Everett Silvertips will also take part, along with Morgan Rielly of the Moose Jaw Warriors and Cody Ceci of the Ottawa 67's. Top North American goaltending prospects Malcolm Subban of the Belleville Bulls and Brandon Whitney of the Victoriaville Tigres also headline the list.

Of the 105 players attending the Combine, 61 will be representing the Canadian Hockey League -- over 70 percent of all North American invites. That list includes 30 from the Ontario Hockey League, 22 from the Western Hockey League and nine from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Additionally, 13 players who spent this past season in the United States Hockey League, including five from the U.S. National Team Development Program, also will be in attendance.

The top European goaltenders in attendance are Andrei Vasilevski of Tolpar Ufa (KHL) and Oscar Dansk of Brynas (Sweden).

"Some of these Europeans will be exposed to being in North America for the very first time and they're here for a week because of how long it takes them to get over here," Central Scouting's David Gregory told NHL.com. "The Combine is going to be important for them. There are certain parts of each team's staff who have watched these kids and have been [in Europe], but the top guy, the general manager, has not had that time to do it, so the interview and how well they perform in the testing is going to be highly scrutinized if they're considering this type of player with their pick."

There are 13 individual tests designed to evaluate the strength and fitness of the prospects, administered by Dr. Norm Gledhill, a professor of kinesiology at York University. This will be the 19th year Gledhill has tested the athletes at the Combine. Each test is held at a separate station under the watchful eyes of several dozen of Gledhill's employees and graduate students from the York University Human Performance Lab.

The fitness testing portion of the Combine will be held June 1-2 at the Toronto International Centre.

Another reason the Combine could take on added importance this year is the unusual number of injuries to many of the top players. Teams will want to delve into the nature of the injury, the rehabilitation that took place, recovery and how effective the player was upon making his return.

Marr feels that while the Combine will be important for players who suffered major injuries prior to or during the season, he doesn't believe it will change a team's perception of a player and where he stands on their draft board.

"I don't think it will change a team's impression of a player, but they definitely want to know where he's at," Marr told NHL.com. "They don't want to find out afterward that you might not be able to attend training camp for one reason or another associated with the injury, so they look at where they can get the current status and the projected status of these players. I don't really feel that the injury and recovery period will influence whether they select the player or not … it just gives them a good idea where they are with current status."